1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gripping device provided at an end of a working arm of a working machine, such as a hydraulic excavator, and used for gripping processing objects when dismantling a building or dismantling and separating industrial wastes, and to a working machine equipped with the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a known gripping device provided at an end of a working arm of a working machine includes a gripping-device body mounted to the working arm, a pair of movable gripping members that are pivotably connected to the gripping-device body so as to be openable and closable with respect to each other, and a driver that drives these gripping members so as to open and close the gripping members.
In another known example of such a gripping device, in order to allow for various kinds of gripping operations, the gripping members are each divided into a section that includes a gripping segment and a section that is to be driven by the driver while detachably holding the gripping segment.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 54-168687 discloses a cutting machine, as shown in FIG. 11, which includes a cutting-machine body 101, a pair of brackets 102 pivotably supported by the cutting-machine body 101 about respective shafts 103, hydraulic cylinders 104 that actuate these brackets 102 in an opening-closing direction, and blades 105 detachably mounted to the respective brackets 102. Each bracket 102 and the corresponding blade 105 mounted thereto are respectively provided with flanges 102a and 105a that are capable coming into surface contact with each other. Moreover, the blades 105 are each provided with a boss 106 that protrudes toward the corresponding bracket 102, and the bracket 102 is provided with a hole 107 in which the boss 106 is fitted. In a state where the flanges 102a and 105a overlie each other while the bosses 106 are fitted in the corresponding holes 107, the blades 105 are detachably fastened to the corresponding brackets 102 by using bolts 108 extending through the flanges 102a and 105a in the thickness direction thereof.
In the structure shown in FIG. 11, when the left and right blades 105 grip (or cut in the case of a cutting machine) a processing object 109, a large shearing load is applied to the bosses 106 and the bolts 108 in the connection areas between the blades 105 and the brackets 102. In order to ensure strength that can bear such a shearing load, the diameters of the bosses 106 and the bolts 108 need to be increased. This inevitably leads to an increase in the size of the brackets 102 and the blades 105 and also to an increase in the amount of protrusion of the flanges 102a and 105a for extending the bolts 108 therethrough.